Looking forward A new church for a new normal

Looking forward

A new church for a new normal

When having walked through a season of adversity, challenge and change, you are never quite the same. Eventually, the calm will come after the coronavirus storm and we will have a moment to look back on lessons learned, wounds received and victories won. We will look forward to uncovered faces, singing voices and warm embraces. As we do, we must reflect on what is important, what is effective and what must change for the season ahead. Throughout the centuries, the church at its best has continually held fast to the unchanging message of the gospel and has simultaneously changed its methods and postures to reach a world that so desperately needs it.

• What have we missed from pre-pandemic times that we will treasure, welcome back and be more grateful for because of its absence?

• What did we do that we have learned is no longer necessary or helpful?

• What has this season taught us about the culture we are living in? What innovations and creative responses do we need to hold on to?

• Who are the people we have connected with that we might not have otherwise encountered?

• What relationships need to be re-established?

• What has God been teaching us as a church about our posture and mission to the community

He has placed us in? How is He leading us forward? We hope that this resource has given you some insight and helped you answer some of these questions with relation to young adults. We hope that you have been encouraged by stories of hope, inspired by some of the innovations and challenged by some of the questions.

As the Evangelical Alliance we are so grateful for all you are doing and have been praying for you and cheering you on throughout this season. If we can be of further help in this vital area of ministry, please do not hesitate to get in touch at info@eauk.org.

Take it further

This booklet is supplemented by an ongoing series of blogs, interviews and articles. Please find the complete collection here.

Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? is part of Changing Church, a wider suite of resources and research from the Evangelical Alliance, which aims to equip and inform the church throughout and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. You can find the full range of media in this area here.

Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? is a precursor to a wider resource that will be released in July 2021. You can sign up for updates on the release of this publication and more from the Evangelical Alliance in this area of ministry here.

Appendix 1

A deeper look at the research: young adults, coronavirus and the church

Overall, reports around young adult faith during the coronavirus pandemic are promising. Changing Church: Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? draws largely on the results of research from Tearfund and, most recently, Durham University.

Tearfund’s prayer survey

In May 2020, a Tearfund survey revealed that one in three 18 to 34 year olds had watched or listened to a religious service since UK lockdown began at the end of March. Similarly, one in three were praying regularly.

Durham University’s survey on ‘digital church’

In July 2020, Durham University surveyed 4,306 adults aged 18+ from all walks of life to explore their religious activities during July. Participants were asked about a range of offline and online faithrelated activities , and 1,210 of those surveyed were young adults in the 18-34 category. Analysis of the data showed the following headlines:

• One in two young adults have prayed regularly (online or offline) during the coronavirus pandemic.

• One in two young adults have attended a service (online or offline) during the coronavirus pandemic.

Participants who were regularly praying/attending services were then asked whether they had been doing this activity more, less or the same amount since the pandemic hit the UK. The subsequent survey results are best described using the following illustration: Imagine you are standing in a room with 10 young adults. On average, five of those young adults will have prayed/attended service regularly.

Of that five, two will have prayed or attended the same amount as before, two will have prayed or attended less than before, and one will have prayed or attended more than before.

These figures show an incredible missional opportunity for the church but also reflect the difficulties around discipleship at this time as some young adults who previously attended church before the pandemic have dropped off.

Feedback from those in ministry

Many church leaders, student workers and other professionals working with young adults have told the Evangelical Alliance’s young adults team that they have witnessed an increased spiritual hunger among 20s and 30s. This is mirrored by Durham University’s research that one in 10 young adults who prayed or attended church in July had done so more than before the pandemic; and this figure will include those who have found faith for the first time during this time. It’s also reassuring that two in 10 young adults have chosen to dig deep and stay connected, through prayer and church attendance, and have done so consistently despite the struggles of the pandemic that could have led people away from faith.

We cannot, however, ignore the two in 10 who have prayed and attended less than before, and who may well have drifted in their faith. Whatever the reason for this shift, we are seeking to begin a conversation around how the church can increase engagement among young adults who are engaging less than before.

Additional research

While Changing Church: Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? draws largely on these two surveys, there are other pieces of research, all published in the last year, that have influenced the report and the contributors’ blogs.

Changing Church survey

Through the Evangelical Alliance’s ongoing Changing Church research which surveyed nearly 900 churches and organisations in October 2020 we were able to attain from 18 to 35 year olds up-to-date responses on on how the pandemic has affected different aspects of their Christian life. Participants were asked a range of questions around the areas we have addressed in this report such as mission, discipleship and social engagement.

Most notable findings for young adults include:

• 48 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds have contributed to social needs through volunteering their time during the pandemic.

• 50 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds said that a barrier to sharing their faith is a lack of significant relationships with people who aren’t Christian.

• 67 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds have attended a church other than the one they attended before the pandemic.

YouGov: “How religious are British people?”

This research from YouGov, released in December 2020, provides a less positive outlook on young adult faith amongst millennials during the pandemic. YouGov found that 35 per cent of 25 to 39 year olds believe in a god or a higher power, below the national average of 43 per cent.

Whilst the results of YouGov’s survey were published during the pandemic, the questions were asked pre-pandemic. This might go some way to explain the discrepancy between this survey and the data from Durham University.

The Times: “Teenagers turn to God during the pandemic”

In December 2020, The Times reported that Generation Z (late teens and early 20s) are more likely than millennials (late 20s and early 30s) to believe in God. Interestingly, this article was based on the aforementioned YouGov survey.

You will find this referenced in the interview with Marjorie here.

The GRA:CE project report

Published in November 2020 this report is based on three years of research commissioned by the Church Urban Fund and carried out by Theos Think Tank. It explores the relationship between social action, discipleship and church growth. While not specifically a report about young adults, there are many references to this age group and their engagement with social action. Church leaders who are looking at ways to engage with both activistminded young adults and their wider community as a whole are encouraged to read this report.

You will find this referenced in Alianore’s blog on social engagement here.

Stories of Hope (Scotland)

Stories are key to the Evangelical Alliance’s work, so during the pandemic the unity movement gathered a range of different stories from across the UK. Changing Church: Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? is inspired by and draws upon many of these stories of hope.

Christian Today: “Reading the Bible has given Christians hope during the pandemic”

In a poll carried out by Christian Research on behalf of the Bible Society in December 2020 47 per cent of 24 to 34 year olds credited the Bible with increasing their mental wellbeing. Additionally, a third of 16 to 24 year olds said that reading the Bible had helped them feel less lonely. This is an encouraging piece of research on the Bible giving people, regardless of age, hope.

A catalyst for deeper engagement

On the whole, the research is uplifting and reassuring, but it can only show part of the story. Our hope, though, is that Changing Church: Is the ‘missing generation’ still missing? has helped you to explore the wider narrative of young adults’ faith during the coronavirus pandemic and acts as a catalyst for deeper engagement with this generation.

176 Copenhagen Street, London, N1 0ST

T 020 7520 3830 | E info@eauk.org | W eauk.org

The Evangelical Alliance. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England & Wales No. 123448. Registered Charity No England and Wales: 212325,Scotland: SC040576. Registered Office: 176 Copenhagen Street, London, N1 0ST